E-Sports Team: Rocket League

How do we judge success?

Getting a team created.

What are the tech requirements?

Need a device, screen, and controller for students to play on.
Rocket League is cross-platform, so any combination of different devices are able to play together, regardless of platform.

Platform Options: PC (laptops), Consoles (Xbox/PS4/Switch)

Laptops
+Easily portable
+Take up less space
+Built-in monitor
- Must be connected to power, cannot play games off of battery
- Small display (14”-17”)
- High cost per unit (decent ones north of $800)
- Controllers not included (~$50 each)
- Requires more general maintenance than consoles

Consoles
+Much cheaper cost ($290-$390 per unit)
+Controller included
+Can use larger displays
+Allows for split-screen play
- Would need to purchase monitors/TVs
- Less portable
- Takes up slightly more room

Console Options: Xbox Series S Digital, PlayStation 4 Pro, Switch

Xbox Series S Digital Edition (BEST OPTION IMO)

• New cost: $289 Amazon

• Runs RL at smooth 60fps

• 11” x 6” x 2.5” (smaller footprint)

• No disc drive, digital games only

PlayStation 4 Pro

• New cost: $399 retail, but inflated right now due to PS5 shortage. Used/Refurb cost: $389-$399

• Runs RL at smooth 60fps

• 13” x 11.6” x 2.2” (larger footprint)

• Has Blu-ray disc drive

• The most popular controller with Rocket League pros

Nintendo Switch

• New cost: $299 Retail, Switch lite: $199 retail (handheld only)

• Runs RL at inconsistent 30fps

• 7” x 4” x 2” (smallest footprint)

• Comes with joycons rather than a standard controller

What do we need to answer?

How many students currently play rocket league?

How many students would be interested in playing rocket league at school?

We could host a Rocket League one-off tournament event to gauge interest and see how many people attend, or even hand out a survey to attendees for further insight.

What would be the logistics in setting up / tearing down for an e-sports league / practice in a classroom?

Consoles: Set up a monitor and console on desks/tables and connect each to a power outlet. Connect consoles to monitors. Turn on consoles and launch Rocket League. Teardown consists of disconnecting consoles and monitors and hauling them out.

Can MJHS students only play against themselves?

Students can play both local private games and online matches with randomly selected opponents, or even host custom games online with player invites.

What is the estimated startup cost?

Cheapest device option for Rocket League is the Xbox at $289 a piece. Controllers are no extra cost since each console comes with one.

• If we want to go one device per student, we would need 6 Xboxes (~$1,734+tax) and 6 monitors/TVs (~$720+tax), totaling $2,454+tax.

• We could play partly in splitscreen, provided we had a couple larger displays (like 40”+?), and only need 4 Xboxes (~$1,156) and 4 displays (~$720), though bigger displays are less convenient and portable than smaller monitors. Totals ~$1,876+tax.

Thoughts on structure:

I found a national league called Middle School Esports League that essentially hosts a seasonal middle school esports league, with Rocket League being their most popular title. Students would compete in a season-long tournament with a pre-season, regular season, playoffs, and finals (like the NFL). Middle schoolers across the country will be participating. This ensures that the club will always have goals and teams to play against, rather than relying on local schools/districts to participate.

Prizes are awarded at the end of the season to the top contenders.

Entry cost is either $30 per student per season (2 seasons per school year, one in fall and one in spring) or $475 per season/$750 per year for unlimited student participants.

I personally think it may be best to go the $30 route and have that be the club sign-up fee for the students.

I really like this idea for the structure and purpose it provides the club.

How could we advertise this to another district?

How many players would be playing concurrently?

Can have up to 6 concurrent players at a time.

What do players do if we have less laptops than players (or odd number of students)?

Work on improving their skills via peer-to-peer or online coaching (YouTube is loaded with coaching videos). Could have one or two of the devices devoted exclusively to splitscreen practice.

Spectate and evaluate the students who are playing.

Why will a customer want this?

Visualize the solution

Scale and scope